Silva deal done; Mariners want one more starter

The Mariners and free agent starting pitcher Carlos Silva have agreed on a four-year deal, and the will be introduced to the Seattle media soon, probably Thursday afternoon.

Silva, a control pitcher and a sinker-ball specialist, had 20 quality starts in 2007 for the Twins, and a repeat performance would be manna for the Mariners, who saw games slip away last year too often because the starting pitching imploded early in the game.

The 28-year-old Silva, who is 47-45 the last four seasons and who was 13-14 this year, walked just 36 batters in 202 innings last year. For most pitchers that would be a career year. For Silva, that was more walks than in any one season before. In 2005, he walked just nine batters in 188.1 innings.

The Mariners are still talking with the Orioles about Erik Bedard and with the Twins about Johan Santana, but neither deal seems imminent with Baltimore and Minnesota both asking for more than their various suitors are asking.

For the Mariners, they aren’t keen to give up the cream of their system — outfielder Adam Jones, reliever-turned-starter Brandon Morrow and catcher Jeff Clement — to land either of the left-handers, although those are probably the two best available pitchers on the market as of today.